In the run-up to the 2005 general election I supported a number of Conservative candidates in target seats. A year before polling day, it was clear that despite energetic and positive campaigns, many of them were not making the progress that their talent and effort warranted. My puzzlement increased when the party said that, according to its private research, it was heading for victory in 103 of the 130 most marginal seats. This was at odds with published polls. The belief that the party was on the verge of winning an election seemed implausible.

I decided to commission my own research to establish the real state of public opinion: the true level of support for the parties, the underlying attributes associated with each, whether the picture in marginal seats really was different to that in Britain as a whole, whether the Conservatives’ 164-seat battleground made sense, and why the candidates I was helping to fund were finding it so hard to build support. Smell The Coffee: A Wake-Up Call For The Conservative Party sets out the results of this work, together with my conclusions on how the party needed to change if it was to win another election.

Links

Lord Ashcroft's Website
– Lord Ashcroft’s main website details his biography and work in the areas of business, politics, philanthropy, gallantry, publishing and journalism.

Victoria Cross Heroes
– First published in 2006, Victoria Cross Heroes was written to mark the 150th anniversary of the creation of the VC, along with many heroes awarded Britain and the Commonwealth’s highest decoration for bravery in the face of the enemy.

Special Forces Heroes
– First published in 2008, Special Forces Heroes continued Lord Ashcroft’s celebration of bravery by telling the stories of valour by the recipients of his Special Forces’ medal collection.

George Cross Heroes
– First published in 2010, George Cross Heroes told the remarkable stories behind the awards of the GC, Britain and the Commonwealth’s highest award for civilian bravery.

Heroes of the Skies
– First published in 2012, Heroes of the Skies is the fourth book in Lord Ashcroft’s bravery series and tells the stories of more than 80 British, Commonwealth and other Allied airmen awarded medals for gallantry in the air.

Special Ops Heroes
– First published in 2014, Special Ops Heroes is the fifth book in Lord Ashcroft’s bravery series and recounts the inspirational stories behind more than 50 groups of gallantry and service medals that are part of his Special Forces medals collection.

The Lord Ashcroft Gallery
– The gallery at the Imperial War Museum in London was opened in November 2010 and houses the world’s largest collection of VCs, amassed by Lord Ashcroft, along with VCs and GCs already in the care of the museum.